Never About the Gold
by Mandy Kay Miller
Summary: (The Itallian Job) 2 years later, Stella begins to have second thoughts about right vs wrong and what should have happened. Charlie, her husband, has no way to help her conscience.
1. Baby Maria

A/N: I don't own the Itallian Job or its characters, but I do own Maria, Kevin, and anyone else you don't recognize from the movie.  I realize that a lot of people will probably come after with me with pitchforks and axe handles for this fic, but maybe some will like it, too, so I'm posting.  Have fun.

            Stella walked into the building for another day at work, Maria laying in a basket in her arms.  This was Maria's first day at her mother's job – usually Charlie took her along with him to his job at Best Buy.  It wasn't a very high-paying job, but it was honest work and Stella made enough to make up for what Charlie lacked.  He hated having to depend on her like that, but she insisted that he get away from his life as a theif.  They were able to work things out.

            "You're so beautiful," Stella told her daughter as she unlocked her office door.  "You have your daddy's eyes, don't you, sweetie?"  She opened the door and then set Maria's basket on a chair.  She sighed, glanced around her office, and then started up her computer.

            As the computer loaded, a man poked his head in her door.  "Morning, Stella," he greeted.  Stella looked over to him and smiled.

            "Kevin, how early do you get here?"

            "Around 7," he answered.  He pointed to the plastic white carrier.  "Who's that?"

            "My daughter, Maria," Stella replied.  "You can come on in if you like."

            Kevin walked into her office and looked down at Maria.  "She's adorable," he said.  "How old is she?"

            Stella smiled.  "She'll have her first birthday in a month.  Charlie and I are very excited."

            "I bet."  Kevin gently took Maria's hand and looked at it.  "Her fingers are so tiny."

            "She's getting bigger, though," Stella assured him as she logged into the server.  "She eats a lot more than I'd expect her to."

            "Do you have many appointments today?"

            The computer monitor showed her walpaper come up with icons on the desktop.  Stella double-clicked on "schedule" and scanned the document.  "Hmm… looks like only 2 today.  Noon and three."

            "That's good.  You should have some time to relax."

            "I hope so," Stella answered with a smirk.  "Things have been crazy lately.  And of course mothers never want to leave their babies for too long.  Steph said she'd watch her, and I trust her completely, but even when Maria was with Charlie I'd worry at least a little.  I guess that's just how I am."

            Kevin nodded.  "Jules was like that, too.  But she'll be fine."

            Stella smiled.  "I know.  Thank you."

            "I should get going; I'll see you later."  Kevin waved to baby Maria.  "Bye, Marie," he said.

            When Charlie woke up Stella was already gone.  _That's because she has a real job,_ he thought, slightly bitter.  He wasn't bitter at her; he was bitter at himself.  He'd never gone to college so he didn't have anything other than a high school diploma, and therefore his status as chasheir was about as good as he could ever get.  Of course he could always go back to college, but then his wife would be paying for his education.  That wasn't right at all.  But then, neither was his wife paying for his meals every day.

            Charlie looked at the bedside clock.  It was 9:12.  He decided to get up and shower; he had to be at work by 11.  He didn't have to get up, but it wasn't worth going back to sleep over.

            It was strange not having his daughter there as he walked down to the kitchen.  Charlie had been taking her along with him for almost a year now, and it was strange to suddenly not have her around when he got up.  Stella told him that she wanted to take their daughter with her sometime and she finally got him away from her, though it was hard.  Charlie and Maria were almost inseperable.  She would grow up to be a daddy's girl.

A/N: This was mostly introduction stuff.  It will get deeper later.  Oh, and that's why the PG rating stands and it's not G… it will get deeper and "all audiences" aren't capable of handling that sort of stuff.  There's no language, little to no violence, whatever… nothing that I think someone would take offense to.  Just so you all know that.


	2. Hands Folded

A/N: Hey guys!  Thanks for reviewing… I wasn't sure if I'd ever get any. :p  I was looking around in the Miscellaneous Movie section, and I couldn't find any Itallian Job fics!  How'd that happen?  Maybe they're there and I just didn't see them.  Anyways, I know what the basic plot of this is gonna be but I don't wanna just dive right in – not yet – so for now I guess I'm just stalling, lol.  Oh, and I've noticed that whenever I try to do breaks they don't work and I apologize profusely for that.  I've tried asterisks, these dilly-bobbers , and just a bunch of 'enter's and nothing works.  So I guess I'll just make the first part bold for now, and hopefully that'll work.  Next chapter:

            "Hey, Charlie, there's a call for you in the lounge," one of Charlie's co-workers told him.

            Charlie stopped pushing keys on the keyboard and turned to him, rather annoyed.  "I'm working, here.  Is it important?"

            "It's your wife, and she sounds freaked out."

            All annoyance that Charlie felt instantly vanished.  The first thing that came to his mind was Maria.  Was she okay?  Did something happen?  Where was Stella calling from?

            He didn't even reply to the guy who told him; he quickly left his position at the cash register, climbed up the stairs in the back and opened the door to the lounge.  There were two people in there taking their lunch breaks.  He looked to the phone and noticed line one had a flashing green light.  It had a caller on hold.  He picked up the phone and pressed it.

            "Stella?" he asked.

            "Charlie!" she said, sounding relieved.  "You won't believe what happened!"

            "Is Maria okay?"

            "Maria's fine; she's alright.  Do you remember Kevin?"

            Charlie blinked.  He didn't know whether to be relieved or surprised that Maria was fine, curious at why Stella would mention Kevin, or worried because she still sounded scared.  "Um… he has an office by yours, right?"

            "Right.  His wife – Julie – she was shot.  She's in the emergency room."

            Charlie sat down on the chair near him.  "Is she okay?"

            "I don't know."  Stella sounded like she was going to cry.  "They said her condition is serious."

            "What happened?"

            "Can you come to the hospital?"

            Charlie sighed and looked around.  If he really wanted to go, his boss would let him.  Yet, he didn't know Julie – he barely knew Kevin – and he thought it may be silly to take off work for someone he didn't know, and it would be less money that they earned.  On the other hand, his wife was sitting somewhere crying and all he could think about was the money.

            "I'll try," he told her.  "My boss'll probably let me go."

            "Good.  I need you here."

            "Where's Maria?"

            "I'm at the payphone in the hospital – Maria's sleeping over by Kevin.  She's okay, Charlie."

            The man smiled.  Stella knew how much she meant to him, and she knew that he would worry about her as long as she was alive, whether or not there was a reason to.  That was how Stella felt, too.

            "I'm coming over.  Give me ten minutes."

            "Okay."

            **Charlie walked into the hospital**, now out of his work clothes.  He'd put on some dark kahkis and a grey button-down shirt.  He smiled when he saw Stella, and she ran up to him and hugged him.

            "They don't think she's going to make it," Stella told him softly.  Charlie rubbed her back with his hand.

            "It's okay," he said.  "She'll be okay."  He didn't think his words could comfort her, but he didn't know what more to say.  What more _could_ he say?  His wife's friend was dying and he barely knew her.  He didn't know what else to do.

            Stella pulled out of the hug.  Charlie tried to give her a weak smile, but it didn't accomplish anything.  She turned in the direction that Kevin was sitting, Maria in her carrier beside him.  Kevin was leaning forward, head bowed, hands folded, eyes closed.

            "He looks good, considering," Charlie said.  Stella nodded.

            "Probably better than me."

            "Where's their son?"

            "Declan?  He's still at preschool.  Kevin didn't want to tell him until he knew if she was okay or not."

            "Makes sense."

            The two of them walked over to Kevin.  Stella put the carrier down on the floor and put her hand on his back, letting him know she was there.  Charlie couldn't help but take Maria out of her spot and hold her in his arms.  He'd been so worried about her, and was so glad that she was alright.

            "How are you?" Stella asked Kevin quietly.  For a moment he had no reaction, but after a pause he sat up and looked at her.

            "I don't know," he admitted.  "It's such a terrible feeling, knowing that someone you love is so close to you, yet you have no power to protect them anymore."

            "I'm so sorry.  Maybe the do-"

            Kevin stood up when a nurse came in.  He recognized her from the previous times she'd come out to talk to them.  "How is she?" he asked right away.  Charlie and Stella both looked to the nurse with interest, curiosity, and dread.

            "We're doing everything we can," she told him.  "but we don't think she'll make it."

            Kevin took in a deep breath.  "Alright."

            "The doctors are trying one last thing.  If it doesn't show results within ten minutes, it never will.  And you'll be able to come in and say goodbye."

            "I'm not burying my wife," he told the nurse.  From his tone, he sounded very serious and determined.  "I'm not saying goodbye."

            The nurse didn't know how to respond, so she simply gave a small smile and walked away.  Kevin sighed and sat back down.

            "More prayer," he told Stella quietly.  Then he resumed his original position – head bowed, hands folded, eyes closed.


End file.
